The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 201: what you’re looking at

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Cy Cass, 194 purpose were to be answered thereby. And then that Count de St. Gerard too—Edmund liked not the name: it became one of the phantoms that haunted him—and he thought that if this indivi- dual should appear upon the scene and renew bis acquaintance with Adelaide, she might dispose of her bridegroom to make way for the possession of a third husband in the person of him whom, in a court of justice, she confessed to have loved. Thus was it that even within the first fortaight of this most i ious young Lord Saxondale was led bitterly to repent the step he had taken. But how was he to extricate himself from the meshes which he had allowed to be woven around his limbs? how was he to fling off the coil which an almost incredible infatuation had fastened upon him? He could not: he was afraid of that woman whom he had married—he shuddered and he trembled at the awful capacity for mischief which he believed to be possessed by his bride. And it was this very terror in which he stood of her that made him exercise all his powers to veil the real condition of his feelings,— so that he studied his best to multiply all possible assiduities and attentions towards her whom he had made Lady Saxondale. He was growing desperate ;—and yet, an arrant coward in every possible respect, he dared not take any decisive step. He endeavoured to drown his thoughts in champagne, Adelaide’s charms: but there was gall mingled in the wine-cup—and when his passion was sated by sensuous enjoyment, he felt as if the splendid creature whom he held glowing and palpitating in his embrace, might all in a moment turn into a loathsome reptile and fasten its venomous fangs upon him. A fortnight thus passed away; and at the ex- piration of this interval, Lord Saxondale found that his funds were exhausted and that he required money, As yet no conversation had taken place between himself and his bride as to her own pecu- niary resources: but from the statement which he had read in the newspaper, he believed that these were of a limited nature. Still he thought it was as well to understand exactly the amount of the revenue which she did possess; and as he felt sure the house in Paris belonged to her, he thought that it might as well be disposed of, as they were by no means likely to need such an establishment mn the French capital, inasmuch as Adelaide had vowed that she would never revisit that city again. He did not exactly know how to introduce the subject to his wife, of whom, as already stated, he stood much in terror: but one morning, while they were seated at breakfast, a remark which he made at once turned the discourse into the desired ehannel. “Tam going ntly,” he said, “ upon a some- what unpleasant ss. It is that I should call on old Petersfield to obtain some money from him, as my own is exhausted and my regular allowance is not yet due.” “ Ah! I am giad, Edmund,” responded his wife, “that you have spoken upon the subject: for I myself am in need of money. I want new dresses, various articles of jewellery, and a thousand little things, which I must purchase at my leisure. By the bye, my dear,” sha went on to observe, “ I have not as yet made you acquainted with the precise THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. nature of my affairs: but it is requisite I should now do so. I am well aware,” she added, with a peculiar look, in which fora moment there seemed to flash a glance of irony, “that you only married me for myself alone—because you were aware that my pecuniary means were not large ; and by the circumstance of marriage they have disa altogether.” “Oh! of course,” exclaimed Edmund, “I know that you lose your widow's pension by having married aghin: but that house in Paris must be worth something—eight or ten thousand pounds, I should think, at the very least ;—and as allowance was well enough for a si will not go a great way to proper manner, I was age and become the master of my fortane, it will be just as well if we were to dispose of that house, the furniture, and equipages. It could be done in a few woeka—— “ No doubt,” answered his wife, with the manner; “there would not be the slightest dif- ficulty if the house belonged to me.” “ Belonged to you!” echoed Saxondale. “I thought you told me it was your own P” “To be sure!—and I told you truly,” said and also in the luxuriousness of | dignantly. “Oh, no! not for a moment! But——” “ Perhaps I might have omitted to mention a little fact,” continued Adelaide; “but if so, it was because all my thoughts and feelings were 60 com- pletely absorbed by the love with which you in- spired me. However, I must now inform that by a provision of my late husband’s will—— Edmund could not help shuddering as be thought that this husband to whom she so calmly alluled, had been sent out of the world by her own criminal hand. “The mansion in the Rue de Tournon,” she con- tinued, in the same placid voice and manner, “ was to pass away from me, in case of contracting a second marriage, to a distant male relative of the late Baron. But of course this is a matter of per- fect indifference to you,—as you will shortly be immensely rich; and in the interval your guardians must supply you with funds: or else there are plenty of means by which the heir to a noble pro- perty can raise as much money as he requires You had better gu and see Lord Petersfield, as you just now s ken” think I had better,” answered Saxon- e. Rising from the breakfast-table, he was about to leave the room, when his wife said, “ Edmund, ane word before you go.” He turned—and now perceived that her cour. tenance wore a vwery peculiar expression, which made him afraid. It had for the moment a look so sinister, that deeply as he suspected her soul of conscious guilt, he was surprised and shoeked to behold that expression upon a countenance so tran- scendently beautiful. It appeared to reflect dark and malignant passions: and yet he could scareely explain more definitely to himeelf the meaning to be gathered from that look. It quickly passed away, leaving an angelic serenity behind x :—and beckoning him towards her, Adglaide rose from (COL (C DOO CS (COL